


Christmas in the Kitchen

by Kaatyr



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Audio Format: MP3, Christmas, First Meetings, M/M, One Shot, Podfic Available
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:53:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28300428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaatyr/pseuds/Kaatyr
Summary: Leorio volunteers at a soup kitchen for Christmas.
Relationships: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Kudos: 29





	Christmas in the Kitchen

**Author's Note:**

> This story is available in audio form for those who would prefer to listen rather than read. Please note that this is a text to speech recording, which means that there may be some issues with it.
> 
> [Stream or download MP3 from Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dQbzA1NGEv8cnpp4QKhqWwsDuFOltjL7/view?usp=sharing)

Leorio’s culinary skills wouldn’t earn him any Michelin stars, but luckily, being able to cook wasn’t a requirement for volunteering at a soup kitchen. Having hands and being willing to use them was enough.

It saddened Leorio to see the families the most. On Christmas Eve, they should have been in a nice, warm home and sleeping in nice, warm beds with full bellies and merry dreams. Instead, these people had to bundle up and brave the cold to get a hot meal. Leorio was tempted to give the children extra portions but the rules regarding portion sizes were strict; they had a lot of hungry mouths to feed.

Leorio always made it a priority to volunteer at his local soup kitchen at Christmastime, even though his job kept him busy. Sickness and injury never took a holiday, even for Christmas, and Leorio, being a doctor, was at their beck and call—except at Christmas, when he forced himself to take time off.

“Hi, Merry Christmas, how’re you doing?” Leorio asked the most recent person to step up to his counter as he ladled soup into a bowl for them.

Dull and cynical grey eyes stayed fixed on the bowl of soup rather than Leorio’s face. Though the young man’s clothes were baggy, Leorio guessed that he was underweight. Dark circles had formed beneath his eyes and the ends of his blond hair poking out from beneath the beanie he wore were ragged. Cut by either himself or someone who didn’t know what they were doing, Leorio supposed. One bony hand clutched the strap of a bag hanging off his shoulder. This man was obviously sleeping rough on the streets, rather than on a friend’s couch. He had the wary posture of a hunted deer, ready to bolt at the first sign of anything amiss.

“How do you think?” was the sarcastic reply Leorio received.

“Shitty?” Leorio guessed sympathetically.

“Sounds about right.” The young man took his bowl and gave Leorio a look that made Leorio cringe a little. The disdainful twist of his lips said, as clearly as if he’d spoken out loud, “What an idiot.”

Leorio let the guy go without commenting on his rudeness. He often met people like this man in his day job. Sometimes a shitty situation got even the nicest of people down at times.

The large hall that the soup kitchen made use of was set out in a way that reminded Leorio of a school cafeteria. Long, rectangular tables were set out for those eating. The kitchen was behind Leorio’s back, staffed by other busy volunteers , most wearing Santa hats or reindeer ears. Christmas decorations hung from the walls and the ceiling. A tall, glittering Christmas tree had been put up near the main entrance of the hall—Leorio had noticed a little boy pinch a star ornament from it earlier. He had decided to not mention that to anyone.

The demand for soup, bread and vegetables never seemed to abate. Just as Leorio’s legs were starting to ache, he felt a tap on his arm.

“Leorio, mind handing out the bags for a while?”

Gon, one of the kitchen’s youngest volunteers, gave Leorio a hopeful grin.

“Got kicked off the job for eating the lollies, huh?” Leorio guessed.

Gon shuffled his feet sheepishly. “Sorta,” he admitted.

“All right.”

Leorio let Gon take his position and removed his gloves and apron before heading over to the table where the Christmas bags were. He picked up one of the shopping bags filled to the brim with the little gifts ready to be handed out and started to make his way around the room, offering a bag to anyone he could see who didn’t already have one.

The beanie-wearing, skinny blond was sitting near the wall, his back to it as he stared down into his empty bowl, as if it had the secrets of the universe written on the bottom. The seats around him were equally as empty. His posture was hunched over his bowl, an unfriendly stare hiding beneath his bangs.

“‘Scuse me,” Leorio said, making his presence known.

The blond looked up, mouth once again taking on that shape that Leorio didn’t care for much.

“Here. Take one.”

Leorio offered one of the little bags. A local store had donated them, from what Leorio understood. They were cellophane-wrapped bundles of Christmas-themed lollies and small biscuits tied with green, red or white ribbons.

The blond eyed the bag as if it were crawling with spiders.

“They’re free?” Leorio tried.

The blond’s eyes moved from the bag to skim the room.

“Give it to one of the children instead,” he suggested. “I don’t celebrate Christmas, anyway.”

“Okay. Are you Jewish, or something?” Leorio asked.

“No. I just don’t celebrate Christmas,” the blond said.

“Can I ask why?” Leorio pressed curiously. “And, anyway, you don’t need to celebrate Christmas to treat yourself.”

The blond stared up at him, eyes narrowed. “It’s none of your business,” he said. “And I suppose you have a point.”

“So, do you want one or not? Because if I don’t get rid of these, I think two of our volunteers are going to die from sugar overload,” Leorio joked.

The blond seemed to be giving the question some serious consideration, maybe more consideration than it actually warranted, but it was progress, nonetheless. His expression was pensive, the bowl in front of him forgotten for the moment.

The blond was actually kind of nice-looking when he wasn’t being an asshole, Leorio decided. Maybe a full stomach had a mellowing effect on his temper because he did seem to be warming up. For some reason, Leorio thought of a roasting marshmallow, getting all soft and gooey inside as it heated up. Leorio was smart enough not to voice that thought—he’d probably get punched. Still, the thought was an amusing one.

“Are you talking about the white-haired boy?” the blond guessed.

Leorio’s eyes widened, startled by the young man’s observational skills. Killua was a sly little bastard, and hadn’t yet been caught taking the bags, unlike his more honest friend Gon.

“Yeah,” Leorio said. “That’s one of the kids I was talking about.”

“Every time I’ve seen him today, he’s been eating lollies or iced biscuits.”

“That’s Killua,” Leorio explained. “He and his friend Gon volunteer here all year ‘round.”

The blond eyed him with a searching stare. “I know,” he said. “I come here all the time... when I can, anyway. I’ve never seen you here before, though.”

“Yeah.” Leorio rubbed the back of his neck, dark hairs prickling his hand. “I only volunteer around Christmastime. Work keeps me busy the rest of the year. I’m Leorio, by the way.”

After a brief moment of indecision, Leorio’s introduction was reciprocated. “Kurapika.”

“Nice to meet you, Kurapika.”

Leorio set down one of the colourful little bags on the table next to Kurapika’s empty bowl and cup.

“Thanks.”

Leorio couldn’t tell if Kurapika genuinely meant it or was just saying it out of obligation. Maybe he’d take the bag, or maybe it’d end up in Killua’s pocket.

“Don’t forget to stick around for the dessert,” Leorio said. “Though you’ll have to put up with the carolling,” he added apologetically.

Kurapika grimaced. “I don’t think I want dessert badly enough to put up with that.”

Leorio personally thought it was a shame that Kurapika would miss out on dessert just because the Christmas festivities put him off, so he asked Mito, the woman in charge of the soup kitchen, if he could grab something for Kurapika before he left.

“Try to be discreet,” Mito advised after giving her permission.

Leorio boxed up a piece of fruitcake and almost ran into Kurapika on his way over to where the blond had been sitting earlier. Kurapika appeared to be about to leave, but had been waylaid by Gon.

“Aunt Mito said that we need to find the kittens homes,” Gon was explaining to Kurapika, who was looking much more interested in Gon’s conversation than he had in Leorio’s. Leorio couldn’t exactly hold that against him... much. Gon was a chatty, precocious twelve-year-old, after all. He could tame even the wariest and most skittish of people.

“Hey, Leorio!”

Kurapika turned at Gon’s greeting to see Leorio. He glanced down at the container in Leorio’s hands suspiciously.

“I’m glad I caught you before you left. I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss out entirely on dessert.”

Leorio offered the container. After a brief hesitation, Kurapika took it.

“Thanks,” he said, with more sincerity than earlier.

“Merry Not-Christmas,” Leorio joked.

Kurapika’s lips turned up into a small smile. Leorio counted that as a rather hefty victory.

“Merry Christmas,” Kurapika responded.


End file.
